In Spring I Said I Love You
by FushigiNoKuniNo
Summary: An AU centered entirely around Yato's odd habit of proposing to Hiyori. One-shot. Yatori. Written as a gift for soraspromise
_**Heisei 8**_

"Hiyori! Marry me!"

Yato's striking blue eyes were fixed on her own, and he sported a confident smirk despite the bleeding scrape on his cheek and utter disarray of his hair. Hiyori frowned.

"Yato, _I'm five_." She broke eye contact to fish around in her pink plastic purse for a band-aid. Her family always kept her well stocked with them, since kids were always getting themselves hurt. Well, more specifically, Yato was. Today marked no less than the third time that he had triumphantly jumped off his swing only to land flat on his face. The commonness of this occasion was marked by the fact that Hiyori's older brother Masaomi, watching the two from a nearby park bench, hadn't even bothered to get up.

"Jeez, fine. You'll understand when you're older. But just remember that I asked you first!" Yato crossed his arms and pouted as Hiyori carefully centered the band-aid on his scrape, sticking her tongue out in concentration. Finally satisfied with its placement, she stuck it on and stepped back, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yato, _you're six_."

"Right! That's why I'm so wise!"

A snort emanated from the direction of the park bench.

 _ **Heisei 9**_

Hiyori stood on her tiptoes and nervously pressed the doorbell. She was always nervous when she had to meet Yato at his house. His father scared her. And she was already anxious enough about her first day of school.

To her relief, it was Yato's twin sister Mizuchi who answered the door. She was wearing white pajamas, so Hiyori guessed she wouldn't be coming to school with them today. Mizuchi had to stay home a lot: throughout all the time Hiyori had been friends with Yato, she had only come to play with them a couple of times.

"Ah, um…hi, Mizuchi-chan! Is Yato here? He's, uh, supposed to show me the way to school today…" Hiyori fiddled with the hem of her shirt, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Mizuchi nodded and quietly said "'Sec," before retreating back into the apartment.

Yato appeared moments later, shouting, "Bye, Mizuchi!" as he slipped on his shoes and ran out the door. He wasted no time grabbing Hiyori's hand and heading off, nearly dragging her out to the sidewalk.

"This is gonna be so great! School's gonna be sooo much more fun than last year now that you'll be there!" Yato rambled excitedly, pulling Hiyori around a corner to the path that led to their elementary school, lined with spectacular cherry trees that were already starting to scatter their petals, "We have to walk together every day, ok? Ooh, and you have to tell me what you think about school lunch, 'cause sometimes they serve this really weird vegetable and—"

"Yato…" Hiyori pulled back on his hand until they had slowed to a stop. Yato turned to face her, confused. She was staring at her shoes (brand-new Mary Janes, bought by her mother for the occasion) and looked like she might cry.

"Even if we walk together and stuff…we won't be in the same class. What if no one likes me? What if I'm bad at everything?"

Yato didn't reply for a few seconds, and then, to her surprise and aggravation, Hiyori heard him laugh.

"Hey, I'm serious!" She finally lifted her head, if only so he could see her glare.

"Sorry, sorry," apologized Yato hastily. "It's just…there's no way that's gonna happen. You're like waaay smarter than me, and I do ok." He stepped closer to extract a stray petal from her hair. "And even if you were bad at everything, people would still like you. Because you're you! Anyone who doesn't is just wrong. And stupid," he concluded, looking smug.

"Thanks," Hiyori mumbled. She did feel a little bit better, now.

"Sure! But that's why you better not forget: I asked you before anyone else!"

"What?"

"You already forgot? That's mean, Hiyori!" Yato looked legitimately offended. "Fine, I'll ask as many times as it takes!" He cleared his throat.

"Hiyori, will you marry me?"

"Oooh, that. Ok, ok, I remember," Hiyori replied, giggling.

"Well, will you?" Yato persisted.

"Yato, no, I'm six."

"And I'm seven!" He declared, as if this held some profound meaning, before grabbing her hand and setting off again. She kept pace with him this time, her fears forgotten.

 _ **Heisei 13**_

Hiyori sat at the kitchen table, swinging her sock-clad feet back and forth and occasionally chewing on her pencil as she drew. As Yato had predicted, Hiyori did well in every subject in school, and better than Yato in all of them—save one. She just couldn't draw like Yato could, no matter how she tried. Actually, forget drawing: Yato could make all sorts of stuff. It was amazing, and Hiyori wanted to be able to do it too. Unfortunately, Yato had assured her that it was all practice, and so here she was, practicing.

She assumed Yato was doing the same; surely that was why she hadn't seen him all break. The note he had pressed into her hand as they parted at her gate on the last day of the school year was upstairs on her dresser.

 _Will you marry me?_

She had rolled her eyes when she opened it, but smiled at him just the same.

Everything had been normal then; now, she didn't know what to think. She'd tried calling him, looked for him everywhere, and had even braved going to his house, but no one had answered her knock. It was like he'd disappeared off the face of the earth.

The phone rang, jarring her out of her thoughts. Sasaki-san picked up from the other room, but spoke too quietly for her to hear. Curious—as usual—Hiyori got up and went to see what was going on, but the call had already ended by the time she entered the room.

"Sasaki-san, who was that?"

"Oh— Hiyori, dear..."

The housekeeper paused to consider her options. She probably wasn't the best person to explain this to the young girl. But Yato was Hiyori's best friend, so she would end up finding out one way or another. Better that she hear it now than be surprised by it later.

"That was Yato's father, asking if he was over here. It seems he's run off somewhere, and—"

"What? Why?" interjected a surprised Hiyori, "Yato wouldn't do that." After all, he was as scared of his father as she was. Yato _never_ disobeyed him.

"Oh, sweetie," the older woman said, kneeling down to put her hands on Hiyori's shoulders, "this is going to be scary for you, but...Yato's sister passed away earlier today."

Hiyori opened her mouth, but couldn't find anything to say. Of course she knew what death was—it was an unavoidable subject in her household—but it had never seemed to her like something that happened to _people_. Patients...strangers, sure, but not _people_.

"...Why?" she managed at last. This turned out to be a fruitless question: not only would Hiyori never, even in years to come, get a satisfactory answer, she also was too overwhelmed to focus on the lengthy explanations and platitudes that Sasaki-san offered, and hardly heard a word the woman said.

"...which is why Yato's poor father must be so worried about him right now. Do you know where he might have gone, dear? I said I'd call back right away if we had any ideas."

Hiyori snapped out of her state of contemplation at this.

"No," she lied.

In fact, she knew exactly where Yato would be—and there was no way she was going to let his father get to him first. As soon as the worried housekeeper reluctantly left for the kitchen to start on dinner, Hiyori slipped out the front door, and broke into a run.

xxxxx

When she arrived at the park, she found Yato sitting on a swing—his swing—head in hands, with his elbows resting on his knees. He wasn't crying, nor moving at all. Despite the location, he had the look of someone much older than eleven. Hiyori, still short of breath, strode over without hesitation.

"Yato," she said softly.

"H-Hiyori?" He jerked his head up, wide-eyed. After a moment, he asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"I just did," she replied, "but don't worry, I didn't tell anyone. You won't have to go back home before you want to." She took a seat on the other swing. Several minutes passed in silence.

"Sorry," began Yato, "you came all the way here to find me and I—"

"It's okay. You don't have to talk to me about it. You can if you want, though." And so another few minutes went by.

"It's just—" Yato struggled to find the words to express his frustration, "It's like...people keep saying stuff like 'it couldn't be helped' and 'there was nothing you could have done' but...I don't think that's right." Hiyori said nothing, but she didn't break her gaze, either, so he continued, "She could've gotten better! I know it!" His voice became louder as he went on, "She wasn't even that sick at the beginning! We would always draw together! Every day! Just like before! And she was okay!"

Yato looked at Hiyori, his eyes almost pleading, as if he were afraid she wouldn't believe him. But she nodded, encouraging him to continue, and reached over to gently touch his hand. He now saw that his knuckles were white from clenching the chains so hard. He released them, and flexed his fingers as he spoke.

"But she got worse. I could tell. She was all shaky and stuff. And I told my dad...I _told him_ ," he stood up, and kicked the sand at his feet, "and he didn't listen. He _never_ listened. It's all his fault!" He was yelling at the ground now, "He _never_ cared! He's always hated us, 'cause we were here, and mom's gone! Well, I hope he's happy now!" Hiyori stood up, too, but Yato was too caught up to notice. "And I...I should've, no matter what he said, I should've made him listen, made him take her to the doctor, or...or…"

Suddenly, he felt Hiyori's arms around his shoulders. His eyes widened in surprise, but after a few moments he wrapped his arms around her as well. He hugged her back, pressing their cheeks together, and gradually his breathing became less ragged. Then he noticed that one side of his face was wet. He pulled back a little.

"Aaah, Hiyori, why are _you_ crying?" He asked, panicking slightly. Was it the yelling? _It was the yelling, wasn't it?_

Hiyori sniffled, tears still streaming down her face.

"Because you're not," she replied, "even though you're so sad. So I'll cry enough for both of us if I have to!" Looking at her, he felt his guilt and anger replaced by all of the loss, sadness, and fear that he hadn't even known he'd been holding in. Before he knew it, they had both sunk to their knees, and he was weeping along with her.

"Hiyoriii! Now we're just both crying!" he whined, still clinging to her. Hiyori answered with a half-sob, half-laugh. They stayed like that, crying and holding onto each other, until both felt like they could stand again.

 _Don't_ you _ever leave me, though._

 _ **Heisei 14**_

Yato started down the well-traveled path away from school, once again carpeted in a layer of pale petals, lost in thought.

"Hey, hold on a sec!" Hiyori dashed out the front entrance, backpack dangling from one shoulder. They were now much too old to hold hands without being teased by the other kids, but when she caught up with him, she still walked close enough that her bright-red _randoseru_ nudged his black one as she pulled it over her other shoulder.

"What the heck, Yato? I didn't even have time to tie my shoes right!" she said, kicking up her right foot emphatically, dangling laces and all. She was a few inches taller than him now, having hit her growth spurt first (much to Yato's chagrin). He stopped.

When Hiyori looked up after tying her shoe, she noticed that Yato's expression was serious. She stood up, frowning.

"Ya—"

"Hiyori. Marry me."

"Yato, for the millionth time—"

" _This_ time is important."

"Yato, you've asked that every year for the last six years, and I _always_ say no," she sighed.

"Well, as long as you remember," he said, starting back down the path.

"You always say that, too." Hiyori fell into step beside him again. "I'm not gonna forget."

"Do you promise?"

"Huh?"

"Not to forget. Do you promise?" He wasn't looking at her.

"What's going on? You're weird today."

He didn't reply for a long while, continuing down the path in silence. She heard him take a deep breath.

"I'm leaving. ...Moving. To Tsushima."

" _What?"_ she gasped. "In _Kyushu_? When?"

"As soon as school ends. My dad wanted to leave yesterday, but he decided to wait 'cause it's just one more week 'til I finish 6th grade."

"But that's…so soon!"

"Yeah." He still was still walking along, not looking at her.

"Are you really ok with that?"

"No."

"Oh." Hiyori felt like the ground had dropped out from under her. It must have been obvious from her tone, because Yato immediately turned to her, wearing a smile that anyone else would have been convinced was real.

"Well, it's a pain, but it'll be fine! We can write letters and stuff! It'll be tons of fun! Maybe I'll even send you one by carrier pigeon. How long does it take to train one of those, anyway?"

Hiyori was only half listening. She thought about Yato, who must feel so much worse than she did. Who had already been through far too much. Who had spent all day acting like everything was normal, and was now giving her that bright, goofy smile to make _her_ feel better.

"I'm not going to forget you. I promise."

 _ **Heisei 15**_

The day was windy, Hiyori's hair whipping around her face as she strode up to her front gate. She made a beeline for the mailbox, just as she had every day for the past few weeks. It was spring. She knew the letter would come. It was spring.

She opened the mailbox nervously, and at last saw what she had been waiting for. She grinned, and clutched the letter to her chest as she walked to the front door so it wouldn't blow away. Once inside, she opened the envelope and pulled out the unusually thick sheets of paper inside, dashing up the stairs to her room as she did so.

 _Dearest Hiyori,_

She laughed as she read the salutation. Yato had clearly written it in the fanciest calligraphy he could manage, an effort somewhat thwarted by the fact that there were no kanji in her first name.

 _Sorry it's been so long. Middle school finals are tougher than I thought! Surprising, since I'm pretty sure the only jobs out here are "fisherman," "oyster diver," and "fisherman with a bigger boat." I have to do well though, or else I won't be able to get into any schools when I come back to Tokyo. I will come back, so try not to miss me tooOOOooo much._

Hiyori stuck her tongue out at the letter.

 _I also wanted to show you what the ocean here looks like, since you asked. It took a while. That's what the second page is for._

She started to flip to the other page, but saw only a splash of color before she was given pause by the next sentence.

 _Don't look yet!_

It was like he'd read her mind. Of course, she looked anyway.

On the page was a gorgeous watercolor painting of a sunset, all oranges and yellows and in-between hues. Silhouettes of a mishmash of traditional and modern houses, almost black against the solar illumination, crowded a slope that ended abruptly at the sea. Though he had said nothing about it, Hiyori was sure this was the view from Yato's window. She ran her fingertips across the paper, wondering if Yato was looking out at such a sunset at this very moment. She returned to the letter.

 _You looked anyway, didn't you? Now you'll be all distracted by my genius and won't focus on the important stuff I'm about to say._

Hiyori raised an eyebrow.

 _So, hey. You're starting middle school. I bet you're nervous again, right?_

How did he know?

 _Well, don't worry! You're super smart, and nice, and you'll look really cute in that purple uniform, even if you don't think so now. Everyone is going to love you. I'm your best friend, so I would know._

How did he always say what she most needed to hear?

 _And if you ever feel lonely anyway, just remember that I'm thinking about you._

 _Marry me?_

 _Love, Yato_

 _ **Heisei 16**_

Yato smiled as he read the reply to his latest letter. It started off predictably (' _Dear Sir,_ ' _tis with greatest regret that I must decline thy proposal, as I am but 13 years of age'…_ Hiyori seemed determined not to lose the battle of antiquated greetings), and the content was mundane, but he treasured each glimpse he got into Hiyori's life. She seemed happy: she was doing well in school, and getting along great with her new friends Ami and Yama. She had also developed a bizarre yet adorable obsession with some MMA fighter named Tohno (Yato made a mental note to tease her about this later). He found that the end of the letter (' _I think you would really like the new ride at Capyper Land. Come back soon so we can go together! Love, Hiyori_ ') came far too soon.

He set about crafting his reply, choosing his words carefully to keep the tone light. The truth was that he missed her terribly. He hated being isolated here, stuck fighting with his father day in and day out. He wanted to be home. To be where _she_ was. There was no sense in making her worry on his behalf, though.

He waited to write the opener until last, searching through one of his books until he found an appropriate line. Yes, this would do perfectly.

 _Be not alarmed, Madam, on receiving this letter..._

 _ **Heisei 17**_

On evenings when she was alone, Hiyori often walked through the park where they used to play. It was peaceful after the children had gone home for the day, and she found the familiar environs comforting. Yato's latest letter, retrieved from the mailbox the same morning, was stowed safely in an inside pocket of her schoolbag. It had arrived right on schedule, and she wasn't at all surprised to see _Marry Me?_ written dozens of times around the edges of the page—though that was precisely why she couldn't have it falling out of her bag. If any of her classmates saw, she'd be hard-pressed to convince them that he was joking, and would never hear the end of it.

As her gaze drifted over the playground, she realized with a start that she wasn't alone after all. There was someone in Yato's swing, clutching the chains. A boy. Not swinging, just sitting. And his posture—Hiyori knew that look. She couldn't tell if he was legitimately lost in thought or just trying to avoid looking at passersby, but she approached him regardless.

"Hey."

He flinched and gave her a startled look, though his expression soon morphed into one of irritation.

"What?"

Surprised by his aggressive tone, she said the first thing that came to mind.

"I haven't seen you around here before."

"What, you own this place or something?" he replied sarcastically. She shrugged.

"I just thought I'd say hi. What's your name? I'm Hiyori." To his great displeasure, she sat down on the other swing. He glared at her for nearly a minute, but she showed no sign of going away.

"Yukine. Not that it's your business."

"Nice to meet you, Yukine-kun," she said politely, gently swinging back and forth. "Do you live nearby?"

"Do now."

"Oh, so you just moved here? Where are you from?"

"Around," he mumbled. Hiyori swung a little higher. She spent the next 5 minutes trying a few more socially acceptable small-talk questions, but each seemed to yield less than the last. So she decided to take a risk.

"You seem lonely."

"What would you know?" he said, standing up. Then, surprising even himself, he yelled, "How about you just go back home and text your stupid friends you've probably known since you were 5 years old about what a good person you are for talking to the poor little boy in the park, and leave me alone already!" He stood there, clenching his fists and breathing hard, watching as she dragged her heels to slow her swing to a stop. _Crap._ Would she get mad? Or maybe cry? _Why did I do that? This isn't her fault. It's my fault. It's my_ —

"Hey, Yukine-kun." He regarded her warily. _Here it comes._

Now that they were both standing, it was obvious that she was quite a bit taller than him. Hiyori noticed that he had risen up on his tiptoes to try to stare her down more effectively. But she understood why he was angry, and how alone and helpless he must feel; though Yato rarely mentioned it, she had always known he felt that way, too. So she smiled.

"Let's be friends."

"Wait, what?" Yukine expressed his surprise by plopping back down on his swing, "weren't you listening?" _No, wait, that's not_ — "What is wrong with you?" _WHY, SELF!?_

"Come on," she grabbed his hand and pulled him up, ignoring his outburst. Yukine opened his mouth to protest, but managed to shut it again before sabotaging himself further. Instead, he nodded.

 _ **Heisei 18**_

Hiyori shouted a goodbye to her mother and stepped out the front door on the first day of her last year of middle school. She expected Yukine to be waiting for her at her front gate, as usual, wearing his black uniform and a bored expression, perhaps petting one of the neighborhood cats. What greeted her instead was a scene she was completely unprepared for.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Watch your language, twerp," said a taller boy, smirking. "You're Yukine, judging by your height and baby cheeks," he teased, poking Yukine's face. "So…a middle school second-year, now?"

"Ugh, how do you know that? Creepy! And get your sweaty hands away from me!" Yukine looked about ready to kill.

"Hey! Respect your elders!"

"Fat ch—"

"…Yato?" Hiyori's interruption was quiet, but both boys spun to face her.

It was indeed Yato, wearing what was unmistakably the uniform of the affiliated high school that she would be entering next year. He was much taller than when she had last seen him, his face more mature. Then Hiyori noticed how well the purple suit and tie of his uniform suited his new appearance, and lost her train of thought quite completely. Fortunately, neither Yato nor Yukine seemed to realize it.

"Hi~yoriiiiii!" Yato was only inches from her in a matter of seconds. He moved with a nonchalant elegance he hadn't had as a child. "I knew you'd look cute in that uniform!" Before she could react, he hugged her tightly.

"Yato, you didn't even tell me you were coming back!" Her words were muffled by his jacket, so she flailed her arms for emphasis.

"Well, I wasn't sure until recently myself! Besides, I thought this way would be more fun! Are you surprised?" Hiyori, having used all of the air that hadn't been knocked out of her by Yato's zealous squeezing on her previous attempt to speak, settled for nodding.

"Dude, you're squashing her," Yukine pointed out, to Hiyori's immense relief. Yato seemed surprised by this revelation, and loosened his grip a bit. But before he pulled away, he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Marry me?"

As soon as Yato let go, Yukine stepped in, quickly smoothing out the portion of Hiyori's bangs that had been disturbed by contact with the jacket.

"So this is Yato. Is he always this weird?" Yukine asked, and then turned to Yato, "Don't just grab people out of nowhere like that! You almost suffocated her! Look, her face is all red!"

"Ok, _mom_ ," drawled Yato, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he put his wrist up to his face, eyes wide in mock surprise.

"Oh no, is it that time already? Don't want to be late for the first day of school," he said, and without waiting for Hiyori's reply, spun around and started off, intentionally walking as fast as possible.

"What the— You're not even wearing a watch!" Yukine yelled, obliged to jog in order to match Yato's much lengthier stride.

Recovering her wits, Hiyori started after them. She was only going at a brisk walk, but she managed to catch up when Yukine tripped Yato, who grabbed the younger boy on the way down, causing both of them to land painfully on the concrete. Torn between amusement and exasperation, she offered each of them a hand.

 _ **Heisei 19**_

The three of them sat on a blanket under Yukine's favorite cherry tree, enjoying its blossoms and the warmth of the spring night. Yukine had told them it reminded him of a friend. He hadn't elaborated, and the other two hadn't pried. He liked that about them.

Yato leaned back against the tree, legs stretched out in front of him. He was sipping from a can of non-alcoholic beer. He grimaced.

"This tastes like grain and desperation."

"I told you," Yukine said smugly. "And what's the point of non-alcoholic beer anyway?"

"To practice for the real thing! Only three years until I turn twenty, after all! Plus, for _hanami_ , you have to have beer. It's a rule." He took another sip, choking a bit this time, "eeeurgh, it sure tastes nasty though. Wanna try some?"

"No," the other two chorused. Yato pouted.

After a minute of silence, he said,

"Hey Hiyori, will you marry me?"

"Nope," she replied, "pass the Pringles." Yato shrugged and grabbed the can off the blanket next to him, then tossed it to her.

"Thanks."

"Wh— Y— Y-You— What?" The others turned to look at Yukine, confused. His face was bright red, and he was pointing at Yato with a shaking hand.

"Huh?" asked Yato.

"Y-You just asked her to marry you," said Yukine, eyes wide. Hiyori laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you. He does this every year. He doesn't mean anything by it, though."

Hiyori went back to pursuing the last chips at the bottom of the can, but Yukine didn't miss the shattered look on Yato's face.

xxxxx

"You're _actually_ in love with Hiyori, aren't you?" Yukine asked Yato, as soon as the door to the apartment closed behind them. "The 'will you marry me' _is_ serious."

At some point, Yukine had just started following Yato home. The latter was surprised at first, but given his own background, had never felt the need to ask why the younger boy didn't go back to his own house at night. The apartment was really made for one, so it was a tight squeeze with both of them, but Yato found that he didn't mind. He'd even used several months' worth of saved-up spending money to buy another futon (which he told Yukine that he'd had it the entire time).

"Of course it is!" said Yato, louder than Yukine had expected. Then, more softly, "of course I am." He clenched his fists.

"So why don't you just tell her more directly next time? Like, ask her out or something." Yukine pulled off his sneaker with effort, wobbling a bit. "Pretty sure that's what normal people do."

"'Iki Hiyori, I've been madly in love with you since you were five years old.' Yes, that's very normal. I'm sure she won't be creeped out at all. Why not just walk up to her and say, 'I know you've already been asked out twice in your first week of high school, but I have like five whole yen left over after paying for the apartment I got to escape my fucked-up family life, so clearly I'm the better choice'?" He sighed, and then continued, very quietly, "…And what if she says no?"

"Ok, I mean, you have a point in that you should probably try to phrase it some way that doesn't make you sound like a lunatic. But I don't think she'll say no. And even if she does, I mean, you've apparently asked her to marry you, like," he paused, counting, "more than ten times now, and she's said 'no' all of those times. That doesn't seem to bother you much." He slid open the door to the main room, and sat down on the tatami. Yato followed.

"That's different. Of course she's going to turn that down. Who accepts a random proposal out of nowhere?"

"So," Yukine began in a tone of exasperation, "you're asking her in a way that pretty much forces her to say 'no' because…you're afraid she'll say 'no'?"

"Well, when you put it like _that_ it sounds stupid."

 _ **Heisei 20**_

[12:32] _She's totally standing me up._

[12:33] _Do I go look for her?_

[12:35] _OMG it's been 5 minutes already!_

[12:36] _6 minutes_

[12:37] _7 minutes_

[12:38] _I can't believe she'd ditch me just because you're not here!_

[12:39] _It's been almost 10 minutes!_

[12:40] _I'm going to die alooone_

Yato was seated in their normal lunch spot on the roof, sipping from a juice box more aggressively than was probably necessary and messaging Yukine. Ten minutes away, snuggled in his futon, Yukine was ignoring Yato's messages as best he could. He was already sick; he didn't need any more of a headache.

The heavy metal door to the roof opened, and Hiyori stepped out, looking tired.

"Hiyori! You're 11 minutes late! Where have you been!?" Yato scooted over to make room for her as she sat down.

"Oh…um, nowhere! I just…forgot something," she said, avoiding his gaze and fiddling with the cloth knot on her bento. Her face was very red. Yato raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, now say the thing that's like that, but not a lie."

"Ugh…" Hiyori sighed, and then grimaced. "Love confession."

"What? Again?"

"Yeah, apparently 'tis the season or something," she huffed. "Well, at least this time I'd had more than one conversation with the guy. Last year it was like, 'dude, you've known me for three seconds, calm down.' I mean, I appreciate the sentiment and all…but god, it's so awkward every time." She fanned herself with one hand, trying to get her face to return to a normal color.

"What did you say?" It was a dumb question, he knew. But…

"You know, the usual. 'Sorry, but I only see you as a friend,' 'I like someone else,' blah bla—"

"Is that true?" Yato asked, too quickly.

Hiyori's face returned to its previous bright-red state, and then surpassed it by about three shades. That had just slipped out, of course. She hadn't meant to say it.

Or had she? Wasn't there a part of her that had known exactly what she was doing? And now she was stuck in a conversation that she wasn't sure she was prepared to have.

"A-Ah, I, um, well I-I, aaah…" She couldn't do it. Hiyori buried her face in her hands, and made a strangled squeaking noise.

 _That's a 'yes.'_

Yato looked at her with concern. He'd never seen her like this. She usually Jungle Savate-ed him when she was embarrassed. Or angry. Or sometimes just because. _Oh no, I broke Hiyori._ He tried to remain calm.

"Aaare you ok?" he asked.

No reply. He poked her shoulder. She jumped.

"I'm fine!" she squeaked.

"Are you gonna take your face out of your hands, then?"

"Nope," was the muffled reply.

Yato cast about for a way to make her feel less awkward. He came up with nothing. In fact, now he felt awkward. On top of anxious. Plus a little bit heartbroken. So he opted for the classic "pretend nothing is wrong and hope it goes away" method. That'd work. Probably. Hopefully.

He sighed, and leaned back against the chain-link fence. He mustered all of his willpower to make his next words sound as casual and unconcerned as possible.

"Well, have you told him?"

She shook her head. More squeaking followed, slowly elevating in pitch, like a tea kettle. Yato wondered if steam would start coming out of her ears soon. Hiyori rather hoped that her head would just explode.

"Why not?"

"Can't."

"But why?"

She moved her fingers just enough to glare at him with one uncovered eye.

"It's embarrassing."

"Probably not as embarrassing as walking around with your hands stuck to your face for the rest of your life," Yato pointed out.

She sighed.

"I'm scared, ok?"

"Oh, come on, it's not scary," he said, with fake cheer. _Liar. It's terrifying._ "And I'm sure he likes you back anyway," _who wouldn't,_ "so there's nothing to worry about."

 _You're so…_

 _Beautiful._

 _Infuriating._

 _I love you._

 _I love you._

There was a lengthy pause. Hiyori took several deep breaths. As deep as she could while her hands were still covering her entire face, anyway.

"He…always says things…that make me think he does. But I can't tell if he's serious. I…I don't think I could stand to hear it, if he said 'I was just joking' or something."

"What? If he was joking about something like that, he's not good enough for you anyway!" Yato scoffed. He seemed offended by the very idea. "You can't just tell someone you love them and not mean it."

Hiyori finally looked up, and straight into his eyes.

"So, what you're saying is…you wouldn't do that?"

"Of course no—" _Shit._ This was the most uncomfortable moment possible to have her find out. But he wasn't about to lie to her. This time, he sighed. "I always meant it. Everything I said." He refused to meet her eyes, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh…"

 _You oblivious idiot._

"Well that's…um, good," she concluded. He turned to look at her. She seemed…relieved? She was smiling at him. And blushing. And playing with a strand of her hair. And— … _oh. Ohhh._

… _OH MY GOD._ Yato opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He pointed at himself, mouth agape. Hiyori nodded, and laughed.

"Wait, are you seriously surprised?"

"Um, yes!? This whole conversation I thought…but… Gah!"

"Oh, I just... I was sure it was obvious."

"…Well, I don't know, I thought proposing to you _eleven times_ was obvious."

There was a minute or so in which they just stared at each other, faces beet red. Then Yato said the only thing he could think of.

"So…marry me?"

Hiyori scooted closer.

"Nah," she answered with a smile.

By the time the next bell rang, neither had gotten around to eating their lunch.

 _ **Heisei 21**_

"Sorry to keep you waiting!"

After what seemed like an eternity hunched over textbooks, Hiyori had graduated high school, and passed the examination for her top-choice university to boot. Naturally, Yato and Yukine were there to congratulate her. She waved at them as she exited the building, diploma in hand, looking stunning in her pink floral-patterned kimono and dark purple hakama.

"Congratulations on graduating, Hiyori!" they said in unison, both hugging her.

"And on getting into college, too," Yato added. "I was kind of hoping you'd become a pro MMA fighter and win the world championships so I could know a famous person, but whatever, I suppose doctor's cool too."

"No, no, no career talk, lalalalaaaa," interjected Yukine, before Hiyori could retort. She settled for sticking her tongue out at Yato, before turning to the blonde.

"You have nothing to worry about, Yukine-kun! You're smart enough to do anything you want!"

"Ugh, that's the problem: I still can't decide," griped Yukine, crossing his arms, "I wish I were a dumbass like Yato so my options would be more limited."

"Hey!"

"Not now, you two," chided Hiyori, stepping between the boys before they could make a scene, "if we wait too long we won't be able to get a seat anywhere. You're supposed to buy me food for once, remember?"

"Of course, Hiyori! You act like we're going to try to weasel out of it or something," complained Yato, who had weaseled out of similar promises no less than a dozen times before. "But first," he said, grabbing Hiyori's hands, "speaking of the future: will you marry me?"

"N—" Hiyori almost flat-out refused reflexively, but caught herself. Yato gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. Yukine made a gagging gesture.

"Not yet."

Yato looked like Christmas had come early.

"Now, maybe if I weren't so hungry…" Hiyori continued.

"Oh yes, for the love of god, let's hurry up and find food," said Yukine, eager to avoid being subjected to any more PDA. He got his wish…sort of.

"YUKINE!" yelled Yato, practically tackling him, "did you hear that!? She said…she said…did you hear what she said!?"

"Yato, I was standing right here," Yukine groaned.

"But did you—"

"Yato! Get _off!_ "

 _ **Heisei 28**_

A barefoot Hiyori made it to the familiar tree first, her heeled sandals dangling from her hand by their ankle straps. Yato stopped a few yards away, gazing at her admiring the pink blossoms above her head. When she noticed that he hadn't yet joined her, she ran over to drag him by the hand, but he was too quick for her.

"Yat—augh!"

He had dropped the plastic convenience store bag he was holding, and lifted her by the hips, swinging her around as she held onto his shoulders for dear life until both were dizzy. When he finally put her down, they collapsed onto the grass, laughing breathlessly.

They had no blanket to sit on, this being an impromptu addition to their date, but it hadn't rained the past week and the ground was dry enough. They talked about everything, and nothing; Hiyori was buoyant from her newfound freedom from medical school, but Yato, leaning against the tree while sipping his beer (real this time—a definite improvement), was distracted. He had been all night. He thought back to his earlier conversation with Yukine:

"Alright, so what's the real reason you aren't coming?" Yato hadn't said anything in front of Hiyori when Yukine had told them he would be "busy with work" that evening, but it had been a very transparent lie. It was just him and Yukine at the studio, so he knew full well that none of their current projects were urgent by any stretch of the imagination. "We're supposed to be celebrating Hiyori getting her medical license! It's a big deal, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, and I swear I'll make it up to her later, but I really think it should be just you two. You were going to ask her soon anyway, right? Do it tonight."

Yato didn't reply for a minute, fidgeting with his pencil.

"Yeah...I am, but..." he sighed, "I dunno."

"Stop being a baby," Yukine scolded, "all you have to do is say the same thing you usually do."

"But…"

"This is the time. Trust me."

So here Yato was, on this date, and after four hours he still hadn't asked her. He was running out of time. Yukine made it sound easy, and once, it had been. Now, he was incredibly nervous. It had been getting more difficult to ask year by year, even as they had gotten closer.

 _Because the answer matters now._

He sat there, watching Hiyori fold a candy wrapper into a miniature Tohno, and trying for the hundredth time to convince himself that proposing—again—was no big deal.

 _Just say it. Hurry up. Say it. Say it._

"Hey, Yato," said Hiyori.

"Hm," replied Yato, not really listening.

With a sigh, Hiyori dropped the wrapper and moved closer to him. Then she grabbed his face with both hands. That got his attention. He blushed.

"Um, yesh?" It was difficult to form words with his cheeks smushed like that. Seemingly satisfied that he was focusing now, Hiyori let go and leaned back.

"Will you marry me?"

He just gaped at her, so she clarified:

"I want to be with you forever."

 _ **Heisei 33**_

Yato collapsed onto the couch next to Hiyori for a well-deserved rest, having finally deposited their sleeping daughter in her crib. She had been fussy all day, and now it was almost midnight. He groaned and leaned his head back, willing himself to become one with the plush cushion.

"Do you think she's out for the night, this time?" asked an equally exhausted Hiyori.

"God, I hope so," he replied, "I love her dearly, but if she wakes up again _I'm_ going to cry." He pulled Hiyori into his arms, reclining the both of them down onto the sofa.

"Don't you dare. One is bad enough." She snuggled against his shirt.

They lay like that quietly for a while, enjoying the silence.

"...Hiyori, are you falling asleep?"

"Mm? No," she yawned. It wasn't a lie: she'd been _completely_ asleep.

"Hiyori?"

"Hm?"

"Will you marry me?"

She readjusted her position so she could see his face, and answered as she always did.

"Yato, we're already married."

"Just making sure you remember."

He kissed her forehead, and within minutes, both were asleep.


End file.
